The 'Three Women Murder' Kim Taehyun Case Concludes... Psychopath Analysis Continues

Police Investigate Kim Taehyun's Psychopathy and Additional Crimes
Transferred to Prosecution the Day Before... "Shamelessly Awake and Breathing Is Guilt"
Police Conclude Stalking Murder... Decided to Commit Crime Feeling Betrayed by Contact Block
Psychopathy Analysis Results Also Provided to Prosecution

Suspect Kim Taehyun, accused of breaking into an apartment in Nowon-gu, Seoul, and killing a mother and her two daughters, is being transferred to the prosecution at Dobong Police Station in Seoul on the 9th. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The suspect Kim Taehyun (25), who brutally murdered three women in a mother-daughter trio at an apartment in Nowon-gu, Seoul, has been handed over to the prosecution, marking a preliminary conclusion to the case. However, investigations into any additional crimes and an analysis of his psychopathic tendencies are expected to continue.

According to the police on the 10th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is analyzing Kim Taehyun's psychopathic tendencies based on interviews conducted by four profilers. Once the analysis is complete, the results will also be provided to the prosecution. Additionally, investigations will continue into whether Kim Taehyun had previously harassed others.

The police plan to determine Kim Taehyun's psychopathy using the PCL-R (Psychopathy Checklist-Revised). This checklist consists of 20 items, with scores assigned for each category such as guilt, lack of empathy, and impulsivity. Each item is scored from 0 to 2 points, with a total possible score ranging from 0 to 40. If the suspect meets the criteria for an item, they receive 2 points for "yes," 1 point for "somewhat," and 0 points for "no." A total score of 25 or higher classifies the individual as a psychopath.

Child sex offender Cho Doo-soon scored 29 points on this checklist, and serial killers Kang Ho-soon and Lee Chun-jae are also known to have been evaluated as typical psychopaths.

Kim was transferred to the prosecution the day before on charges including murder, theft, trespassing, violation of the Minor Offenses Act (continuous harassment), and violation of the Information and Communications Network Act. After meeting with a human rights supervisor and a chief prosecutor at the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, he was detained at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center. The case was assigned to the Criminal Division 2 (Chief Prosecutor Lim Jong-pil) of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office.

The Nowon Police Station, which investigated the case, announced the investigation results while transferring Kim to the prosecution the previous morning. According to the police investigation, Kim meticulously planned the crime in advance, preparing tools and checking the victim's work schedule a week before the incident.

Suspect Kim Taehyun, accused of breaking into an apartment in Nowon-gu, Seoul, and killing three women from the same family, is seen kneeling at Dobong Police Station in Seoul on the 9th before being sent to the prosecution. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

At the time, he stole a weapon from a nearby supermarket, impersonated a courier service worker to enter the apartment, and killed the three women in succession. After the crime, Kim repeatedly attempted self-harm, drinking beverages and harming himself again. He also checked conversations on victim A's phone between A and mutual acquaintances and blocked those contacts.

Kim stated to the police that he decided to commit the crime because he was angry and felt betrayed after the eldest daughter, A, cut off contact and refused to meet him. Even after A refused to meet, he continued to attempt contact through acquaintances by sending messages or calling from public phones.

Kim was arrested on the 4th on suspicion of killing the three women at an apartment in Junggye-dong, Nowon-gu, on the 23rd of last month. On the 25th, police responded to a report from an acquaintance of the victims stating, "I can't reach my friend," and found the three deceased women and Kim, who had attempted self-harm, at the scene. Kim was transported to a nearby hospital, underwent surgery, and was hospitalized. After recovering to a level where communication was possible, he was arrested on the 2nd.

When Kim was handed over to the prosecution the day before and asked by reporters if he had anything to say to the bereaved families, he replied, "I feel a lot of guilt just for shamelessly being alive and breathing like this," and added, "I apologize to everyone who was harmed because of me." When asked follow-up questions such as "When did you start planning the crime?" and "Do you admit to stalking charges?" he only repeated, "I'm sorry."

Kim showed almost no change in facial expression and answered questions relatively calmly, as if reading from a prepared script. He asked the police officers holding his arms, "Please let go of my arms for a moment," and showed a relaxed demeanor by saying to reporters, "I would like to ask for your understanding as I may not be able to answer each question individually." While responding, he looked around at the reporters, made eye contact, and nodded. He briefly lowered his mask upon reporters' request. During his answers, he also briefly knelt down as if to apologize. However, no significant emotional disturbance or change in mood was observed during this process.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.